Dylan Holloway to shift from wing to centre during stint with AHL Bakersfield

Edmonton Oilers forward Dylan Holloway will be shifting positions while playing with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate.

Holloway suffered a knee injury back in mid-November and missed over one month of play while on the Long-Term Injured Reserve. The Oilers activated Holloway on Wednesday and loaned him to the Bakersfield Condors, where he’ll shift from playing the wing to playing centre.

 

Injuries have been a challenge for Holloway during his professional career. Since being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Holloway had his first pro campaign derailed by a wrist injury suffered the season before in the NCAA playoffs. He also missed time last year because of a shoulder injury that occurred during his first game in Bakersfield after a demotion.

Now in the third season of his three-year, entry-level contract, Holloway has four goals and ten points over 65 games in the NHL and 15 goals and 32 points across 55 games in the AHL.

The Condors play a back-to-back against the San Diego Gulls, the farm team of the Anaheim Ducks, on Friday and Saturday and then don’t play again until next Friday, so this could just be a quick stint to get Holloway up to speed before bringing him back up to the big-league club. The Oilers might also decide that playing a top-six role as a centre is more beneficial than playing third- or fourth-line minutes in the NHL.

From the team’s perspective, it makes sense why the Oilers would want to have another forward on their roster with the ability to play centre. Ryan McLeod was pencilled in as Edmonton’s third-line centre this season but he’s found a home playing on Leon Draisaitl’s wing.

Derek Ryan has done a solid job filling that spot for McLeod, but Holloway’s size and speed could make him an ideal fit as a defensive centre on Edmonton’s third line. If that’s the case, the Oilers wouldn’t have to spend to add another pivot ahead of the trade deadline, and they could focus their assets on other areas of need.